LEJOG day 23: Bewdley to Seisdon
It is possible I am running out of things to say about walking.
Today I tramped along my last bit of the Severn Way, being treated to occasional nice views of brown river and the odd bridge, then spoilt myself and my sore left foot with several hours of tarmac interspersed with the odd bridleway.
Most of the paths today were actually very well-maintained and nice to walk along- I drifted along them without really noticing, which is always a good sign, I think. I managed to accidentally pick mostly very quiet roads to plan my route along back in February in my flat in Swansea, so that's an achievement, and most of the navigation was really mind-numbingly straightforward. I have very little to complain about on the walking front today.
The weather, however, has decided to make sure I'm really aware of how much of a big deal it is. Walking in 80%+ humidity all day was never going to be fun, but to make it more like torture, I plodded along under a blanket of ominously dark grey cloud all day, which would periodically sprinkle me with rain. The trouble was, every time it did so it seemed so likely that I was about to experience a downpour that I'd stop and waterproof-up. If walking in 80%+ humidity is not fun, walking in 80%+ humidity in a questionably breathable raincoat is even less so, especially if it isn't raining anything like hard enough to warrant it. I spent all morning doing the waterproofs dance (on, off, on, off, shake it all about)
In the afternoon I did finally get soaked- but not with rain. No, the soaking came from some very wet long grass, which made my walking trousers so wet so suddenly that the water ran inside my gaiters and into my boots, and I squelched the rest of the way to my B&B- thankfully a mile closer than I had been led to believe by Googlemaps. To my displeasure, this single overgrown path of the whole day was my introduction to the Staffordshire Way, which ought to have been the best-kept path I encountered.
The other noteworthy thing about today's walk is I have been in three counties today- starting in Worcestershire and walking through (a tiny corner of) Shropshire to end up in Staffordshire. I'm in the Midlands, and the accents agree, and if the weather doesn't buck up I'm going to have a lifelong reason never to return.
Distance walked: 17.92 miles
Time taken: 5h50
Percentage complete: 32.6%
Miles per £1 of boot: 3.49
Lunch: tuna and cucumber sandwich and doritos; I had a smoothie which I saved for later and consequently never got around to drinking
Last night's B&B: Severn Guest House, Bewdley: awesome bathroom, slightly lumpy beds, plenty of character
Barge boards
I really have no words
The remains of a viaduct
The only part of a listed 200-foot single arch cast iron bridge I could take a photo of
Green and pleasant land
It wouldn't be a blog post without photo of a stranger's house
Then it started really threatening to rain
Today I tramped along my last bit of the Severn Way, being treated to occasional nice views of brown river and the odd bridge, then spoilt myself and my sore left foot with several hours of tarmac interspersed with the odd bridleway.
Most of the paths today were actually very well-maintained and nice to walk along- I drifted along them without really noticing, which is always a good sign, I think. I managed to accidentally pick mostly very quiet roads to plan my route along back in February in my flat in Swansea, so that's an achievement, and most of the navigation was really mind-numbingly straightforward. I have very little to complain about on the walking front today.
The weather, however, has decided to make sure I'm really aware of how much of a big deal it is. Walking in 80%+ humidity all day was never going to be fun, but to make it more like torture, I plodded along under a blanket of ominously dark grey cloud all day, which would periodically sprinkle me with rain. The trouble was, every time it did so it seemed so likely that I was about to experience a downpour that I'd stop and waterproof-up. If walking in 80%+ humidity is not fun, walking in 80%+ humidity in a questionably breathable raincoat is even less so, especially if it isn't raining anything like hard enough to warrant it. I spent all morning doing the waterproofs dance (on, off, on, off, shake it all about)
In the afternoon I did finally get soaked- but not with rain. No, the soaking came from some very wet long grass, which made my walking trousers so wet so suddenly that the water ran inside my gaiters and into my boots, and I squelched the rest of the way to my B&B- thankfully a mile closer than I had been led to believe by Googlemaps. To my displeasure, this single overgrown path of the whole day was my introduction to the Staffordshire Way, which ought to have been the best-kept path I encountered.
The other noteworthy thing about today's walk is I have been in three counties today- starting in Worcestershire and walking through (a tiny corner of) Shropshire to end up in Staffordshire. I'm in the Midlands, and the accents agree, and if the weather doesn't buck up I'm going to have a lifelong reason never to return.
Distance walked: 17.92 miles
Time taken: 5h50
Percentage complete: 32.6%
Miles per £1 of boot: 3.49
Lunch: tuna and cucumber sandwich and doritos; I had a smoothie which I saved for later and consequently never got around to drinking
Last night's B&B: Severn Guest House, Bewdley: awesome bathroom, slightly lumpy beds, plenty of character
Then it started really threatening to rain
So the pennine way is waitung Louise. I m shure you will enjoy it. We also got soaked the last two days and my boots are wet and refuse to dry. But still walking
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